Human mind versus AI

AI is a sort of software that can detect/look for data, process/digest that data, and then provides an answer/a reaction. Data can be entered by humans, but better, can be automatically captured by sensors. The camera of an iphone is such a sensor. In its simplest way, AI is shapeless and can be accessed through internet from a PC, a tablet or a smartphone : for instance a website that lets you listen to a tune you’re likely to like given everything you’ve listened before. But of course AI can be embedded in more evolved pieces of hardware like insect-like robots, dog-like robots, and of course humanoid-like robots.

But more unexpected (and appaling?), that will be possible in the future to embed AI in « liveware » : a cow could then be equipped with software outsmarting its brain, making the ruminant more clever (and/or more submissive?) than ever, able to go back to the cowshed on its own, without the need for cowboys anymore. Watch the video below to get convinced of that last assumption !

Of course, in this video, the butterfly isn’t AI-piloted, only remotely controled by humans, but still, this is a revolution, it’s just a matter of time before we can let AI take over an animal’s body.

On the other side, the human mind and body have been improved so much by technology since first hominids grabbed stones, and in the last 100 years technological progress is accelerating at such an astonishing pace that it’s hard to keep track of it. Soon every pieces of our body will be bettered or replaceable by more efficient bionic prothesis. Watch this video about a bionic hand, that’s just a beginning !

The most extreme situation would be for me the following. A human brain (and mind?) does only need oxygenated and nutriment-rich blood to work. Our brain does only need its cumbersome body just, A, to put food into the blood that flows to it (our arms and legs to go get food, our digestive system to process food to blood); B, to process oxygen to blood (our respiratory system), and C, to transmit genes trough sex.

So imagine X has a grave accident, he’s seriously injured, body and face, only the brain is safe. If doctors can quickly remove X’s brain and plug to it pipes that pump blood in and out, the brain would survive, right ? (any doctors in the room ? tell if this is pure sci-fi 😉 )

Now, let’s move to the next step. Imagine we connect that brain to sensors like for instance a camera (it’s already been done for people born blind). Imagine you connect X’s brain to a keyboard, or a voice synthesis device. Then you get it, it’s possible for X to chat with his loved ones ! How amazing ? It seems crazy, but look at what’s already possible ! People have been able to play pong tennis on a screen just by thinking of it :

Or watch how a monkey can feed itself with a robot arm just using thoughts.

Then comes the « but life without sport, food or sex is pointless » objection. So why do we need to do sport in the first place ? Because we’ve got a body that is asking for it. No body, no urge to do sport anymore. Why do we feel like eating ? Because our body is asking for food. No body, no urge to eat. Why do we want to have sex ? Because the hormons flowing in our body are asking for it. No body…you get my point. No matter how enjoyable sport, sex and food are, with only a brain, we might not need nor fancy those activities as much.

« But what would be left of the pleasures of life? » you might ask. Maybe what makes life still enjoyable for physically disabled people : art, music, movies, chatting, internet, reading, etc.

And now imagine we connect for a day X’s brain to an asimo-like robot, or an insect-like robot, how does that sound ? And why not connect X’s brain to some other « liveware », like a condor or a horse ? Sounds crazy ? However appalling this scenario, that should be technically workable before 2100.

But why bother embed X’s brain on a condor to give him a shot of « wow, I can fly », when you can just put X’s brain in a closet, and send to it electric signals making X feel he’s flying, eating strawberries or having sex ? Well, scary. Its reminds me of « the Matrix » movie. Are you scared ?

TJ

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This entry was posted on septembre 5, 2011 at 11:03 and is filed under Non classé. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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